


Make ourselves anew

by The_ship_that_wont_sink



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Idiots in Love, Kinda Fluffy, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:21:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25942780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_ship_that_wont_sink/pseuds/The_ship_that_wont_sink
Summary: The war is finally over. Peace reigns supreme in the Kingdoms of Etheria. A peace for all but the two who arguably deserve it the most.For old demons die hard and old habits even harder...When Catra ups and leaves without a word, will Adora finally work out what it is she really wants?Mostly written before I'd watched season 5 - so cannon divergent from the end of season 4. Nothing major, though the 'heart of Etheria' episodes don't happen...
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've posted in a really long time... If anyone has read my other work, well this is quite different. Short, for one. And finished for another. It's also a LOT less angsty than I'm used to. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading...

It was over.

The battle. The war.

They’d won. Horde Prime was gone. Defeated. Ash. Along with his armies.

She had never known a time without war; most of them hadn’t. She wondered what ‘peace’ would look like.

There had been celebrations - she'd been told - though she had still been _asleep_ and had missed them all. She was glad; she doubted she would have cared for these princesses celebrations, and she doubted even more that the princesses would have cared to have her there.

Of course there had been losses. That flower princess and the ridiculous pirate. Lonnie and Rogelio. Catra herself had been very close to being one of them. She should have been... she'd expected to be. 

There was a blast; a huge explosion. Pain. She remembered clinging on as the ship broke apart in the atmosphere, and then falling through the air, spiralling down and down forever until the darkness overcame her.

But somehow she had survived. 

She didn’t know much. _Nothing_ for the longest time, and then a feeling of warmth, of familiarity, that spread through her body. A feeling of being safe and of being loved. 

Not that Catra knew what that felt like. 

And then she had woken up on the softest bed she had ever felt. 

It was horrible.

And now she was stuck here. At the mercy of the Princesses. 

Catra’s eye twitched involuntarily at the thought. 

The afternoon sun was hot against her skin. Not the stifling humidity of the Fright Zone. This was a dry burning that reminded her of the Crimson Waste... she still hadn't got used to it. Her bandages itched insufferably against her skin. The outcrop of rock she was perched on had no shade, and so she faced the brunt of the scorching rays. 

Still she stayed. It was the only place with a full view of the ‘war room’. 

Scorpia had mentioned it to her earlier on. When Catra was laying in bed, feeling sorry for herself for still being alive, and refusing to talk to anyone. Scorpia, of course, was undeterred. No matter how silent Catra was, Scorpia was never deterred. 

She had told a mute Catra that the Princesses, those that remained, were convening to decide how to proceed. That included deciding Catra's fate....

And for some reason that Catra had yet to work out, she had been drawn here, to this spot – the one with the full view of the meeting. So she stayed, and she watched.

She could see Scorpia, standing out above the others, burley and brash. There was no way she should ever fit in with the Princesses; fit in here at all, and yet... 

A pressure filled Catra's chest, and a tight lump constricted her throat which she struggled to swallow against. 

Then there was Glimmer and Bow. Mermista. Netossa and Spinnerella. Even Entrapta. Everyone.

She couldn’t see her, but she knew _she_ must be there. She could feel it under her skin and in her bones. She could always sense when Adora was near.

The longer she watched, the more the empty feeling in her chest grew. The wretched, wringing feeling. She hadn’t thought there was anything left inside for her to lose. Apparently she was wrong.

There would never be a place for her here. 

They could accept Entrapta back after she switched sides, and Scorpia. And they’d welcomed Adora with open arms. Hell even Shadow Weaver was now a trusted advisor and teacher to the queen. 

Catra frowned.

But they would _never_ accept her. 

Nobody wanted her. They'd all left her; _she'd_ left her. But where once there had been anger now there was only despondency. 

She felt drained to her core.

She wouldn’t fight them. But she wouldn’t wait around to be cast out either. 

She looked back, once more. Straining her eyes to see. Craning her neck. Staring until the world around her blurred and her eyes watered and there was only herself and the room and...

There it was. A flicker of gold. The toss of blonde hair. It was there for the briefest of moments, the sunlight dancing off it and dazzling Catra. And then it was gone. 

She released a breath she had not known she was holding. Scrubbed away a tear she had not permitted to fall. And then she stood in one fluid, graceful motion, savouring the pull of muscles against half healed wounds. 

Her bag was already packed. It was always going to end this way.

“Where are you off to, Kitty?”

Catra jumped and took a fighting stance, caught off guard at the figure appearing seemingly out of nowhere on the path ahead of her. As soon as she realised who it was that had startled her she relaxed her posture, her hand involuntarily coming to clasp at her ribs whilst a look of annoyance was plastered across her face.

The Princess was chuckling lightly at her statement, probably at the use of Catra’s hated nickname. Possibly at catching Catra so off guard. 

She rearranged her features from annoyance to practiced boredom.

“Scorpia.” 

“Seriously though, shouldn’t you still be in bed, resting?” Scorpia's mirth subsided as she eyed Catra too closely for her liking. 

“Paha” She sneered. “I’m fine.”

Scorpia didn’t look like she was convinced but she let the matter drop which was good enough for Catra.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in some meeting or something anyway.” She asked in a voice soaked in nonchalance whilst examining her finger nails.

“Urgh yeah...” The woman replied “So boring. I mean it’s absolutely great and I love it. But there’s a lot of the time when they’re talking about stuff and I don’t really know what’s going on... kinda just like old times huh Catra?” She finished with a self deprecating chuckle. 

Catra felt the thing inside her chest start gnawing away again, and she resisted the urge to snap at her friend or say something spiteful. It took a lot of effort. In the end she said nothing, looking down and scuffing her feet at the dusty road.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two women. 

“I could see you out there, on the ledge. And then you disappeared.”

“What! How did you..? You know what - never mind. It doesn’t matter.” _Nothing matters_. “I thought seeing as you were all in there deciding my fate I'd come get a front row view.”

“Aww Catra...” 

But Catra didn’t want to hear whatever platitudes Scorpia was about to offer. It’s not like she'd even really been treated like a prisoner. Just two guards at the front of the ‘spare room’, and none guarding the window. It was almost insulting. She might have laughed, but these naive, unprepared princesses had still managed to thwart her time and again and the knowledge left an even more bitter taste in her mouth. Or maybe it was all the funnier for it. 

“So what did they decide anyway?” 

Scorpia looked awkward, rubbing at the back of her head with a pincer.

“Well we’re at something of a stalemate.” 

“Huh..?” That news surprised Catra. 

“Well I obviously argued for you... though I’m not sure my word means very much, what with me being ex-Horde and all.” She chuckled again. “And Queen Glimmer... She was arguing on your behalf, and I’m sure that counts for a lot more.”

“Wait..! What! _Glimmer_... on my side! This is just too good!” Catra cackled. The mirthless kind she was prone to in the Fright Zone after Adora had left her. The action pulled once more at her side and she stopped. 

She supposed it might not be all that shocking. Catra had saved Glimmer’s life and they'd fought side by side as comrades. But Catra had presumed that the queen of Bright Moon still harboured a deep seated disdain for the ex-horde captain. She’d been undecided if the feeling was mutual. 

“Yep, she was quite adamant about it. And I think Entrapta is on your side too. Apparently she enjoyed her stay on Beast Island...” Scorpia shrugged, not necessarily understanding, but freely accepting nonetheless. 

But then that was just who Scorpia was. Better than all the so called regal princesses here... And a thousand times better than Catra. 

She sighed. 

And yet, there was still a name Scorpia had not mentioned...

“Was there... anyone else?” She tried to sound indifferent, but she knew she failed. They both knew who she was asking about. 

The wind went out of Scorpia’s sails as she deflated in on herself. Catra felt a small pang of guilt, and yet, she had to know.

“Adora...” Her name was spoken like that of a spirit, that the word itself might conjure the very woman to this spot. Scorpia’s face scrunched like even saying her name had left a bitter taste on her tongue. 

Catra couldn’t help the slight widening of her eyes, waiting for the answer.

“Of course Adora argued for you Catra.” 

For a moment the emptiness was gone, replaced by a warm, tingling sensation that filled her until she thought she might burst. Just for a moment she was basking in the sunlight... And then the familiar dark wave crashed over her and the tingly feeling was no more. She swallowed against the tears prickling at the back of her throat. 

Scorpia was watching her closely. 

She cleared her throat roughly.

“Whatever... It doesn't even matter anyway.”

“You’re leaving Bright Moon, aren’t you?”

“I don’t belong here Scorpia. I’ll never be one of them...”

“But you don’t know that, just look at me...” Scorpia interrupted, only to be cut off herself by a scoff from the woman in front of her. 

“I don’t _want_ to be one of them. You wouldn’t understand, you’re a Princess. You _are_ one of them.” 

Scorpia looked sad at Catra's words. 

“Where are you gonna go?” 

“I... I don’t know...” She finished in a sigh. She hadn’t managed to think that far ahead. “The Crimson Waste, maybe.”

As soon as the words left her mouth she knew that is exactly where she would go. 

She had been someone there. She’d fit in. 

“I could come with you? It could be just like before.” Too much hope laced Scorpia's words. Too much willingness to give up everything to follow Catra into the godforsaken arsehole of nowhere. Again. 

“No.” Catra ground out with too much force. Her friend looked taken aback, hurt in a way that seemed to happen all too often in Catra's presence. 

“Don’t you get it? Your place is here. Not with me.” She growled, unable to stop herself any more that she could stop the ache in her chest. 

“But... I...” Scorpia tailed off, unable to find a way to complete her sentence. 

Catra could see the tears forming in the other woman’s eyes. 

The silence between them seemed to stretch out forever. Catra half turned away, scuffing her foot on the floor.

She almost bolted. But then, she didn’t want to be that person anymore, did she? Leaving her friend alone and crying on the road.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a bad friend.” She mumbled, voice low.

“Whaaat..? No, you haven't been a bad...”

“Save it, Scorpia. You know it’s true.” She interrupted, glancing up at the other woman before continuing her study of her own feet. She was no good with feelings. She pushed on regardless, forcing the words out through reluctant lips. “I... I'll try ‘n’ be better... you know, when you come visit.”

“Come... Oh Catra! You mean you want me to visit you?!” 

Catra found herself enveloped into a bone crushing hug – quite literally; the other woman could have easily popped an organ or two with her incredible strength had she been trying to. As it was Catra was just _nearly_ suffocated.

“Sure.” She managed to huff out. 

Finally she was let go. There were tears in Scorpia’s eyes. 

“I’m gonna miss you, little buddy.”

“Yeah, me too.” She muttered, still mainly looking at the floor.

She hoisted her pack and set off once more with a new resolve. She made it a few paces before she turned back around. Her friend was just turning around to depart herself. 

“Hey, Scorpia...” The woman spun instantly, and Catra met her eyes with sincerity, “You know, you actually make a really good princess.”


	2. Chapter 2

Adora paced the floor of the council chamber, back and forth. With each repetition her temper worsened and the stomping of her booted feet against the hard stone echoed all the louder around the room.

  
The other princesses threw sidelong glances at each other, none daring to interrupt the warrior’s relentless march. 

  
“Adora...” 

Queen Glimmer tried to calm her friend, but the other woman didn’t so much as look up at the monarch of Bright Moon.

  
“I... just don’t get it...” Adora uttered under her breath. 

Her strides brought her to a halt in front of Princess Scorpia. The woman’s face tinged pink as the one who was She-Ra stared her in the face. She looked caught between mild panic and defiance. 

“Tell me again...” The First One demanded.

“Well... it's like I said, Catra's gone. She's not coming back.” The newest of the Princesses folded her arms in front of her, pincers clacking together as she did so. 

“And you _let her leave_?!” Adora fired back, the colour in her own face growing.

  
For some reason there had never been any love lost between the two women, even in the portal dimension. If she had been thinking rationally she would have seen that it wasn’t Scorpia's fault.

  
“You know Catra...” Scorpia shrugged, refusing to rise to the bait. “Once that wild cat gets an idea in her head there’s almost no stopping her.” 

  
“Urrgh!” Adora practically growled, spinning away and resuming her pacing, her hands clenched tightly into fists.

“Errrm... I reeaally don’t get why this is suuuch an issue.” Mermista, as usual, sounded caught somewhere between utter boredom and hidden amusement. “Like, I’m pretty sure we'd have sent her to the Crimson Waste anyway...”

“That wasn’t decided!” Adora roared, turning on her ally.

“Whoa, I was just saying... maybe her leaving has, like done us a favour.”

A few of the others nodded in agreement.

Adora's shoulders slumped. She was clearly outnumbered.

“We could go and _make_ her come back.” Frosta jumped up from her place next to Adora’s already empty chair, her fists icing over into giant frozen hammers.

“ _Yes_.”

“NO!” Glimmer boomed above Adora's assent and general pandemonium that suddenly seemed to have broken loose. “No one is going anywhere and forcing anyone to do ANYTHING. Is that clear?”

It was to Glimmers immense credit that the room immediately quietened, several of the princesses’ eyes downcast in abashment, and there was a general murmur of agreement that they would not.

The sovereign released her breath in relief. Glimmer had never held more respect for her mother and the job she did as queen than at moments like these.

“Now, I think we're done for the day - we're not getting anywhere at the moment and there’s still so much to discuss. We'll meet again tomorrow.” And with a shake of a hand the princesses were dismissed.

Rather than leave with the others, Adora traipsed back to the table and collapsed into her chair with all the grace of a sack of potatoes.

“Urrgh” She reiterated with her head in her hands.

Across the room Bow and Glimmer shared a long look, unspoken words passing between the two best friends.

“Are you ok?” Bow began, coming to stand beside his other best friend.

“I ‘on't ‘ow” Adora's response was eaten by the sleeve of her jacket before she eventually looked up to address the archer, appealing to his and Glimmer’s inherent dislike of the fugitive.

“We _need_ to go after her. She could be up to anything. Plotting against us. This is Catra we're talking about, it’s not safe to let her go.”

“Come on Adora, you don’t believe that. The war is over. And even if she is plotting against us, there's no Horde left.”

“You don’t know Catra like I do.” She urged, her eyes pleading with Bow to listen to her.

“I know you and Catra have a lot of history, and yes, we don’t know her the same as you.” Glimmer’s voice was gentle as she came to take a seat beside her friend, resting her hand lightly on the warrior’s shoulder in a gesture of support. “But she risked everything for us. And you were arguing for her to be pardoned only this afternoon...”

“ _I know_!” Adora replied looking up. “But... It’s not... she's injured... its not safe, at least not in the wastes. She could be hurt, alone...”

“I’m pretty sure Catra can look after herself. Besides, She-Ra healed her... You healed her. What is this really about, Adora?”

“I don’t... It’s just...” She stuttered, struggling to come up with a way to answer the queen's question. She swallowed hard, fighting back against sudden tears.

She should be happy that Catra had gone. The woman had been a thorn in her side for years. Her enemy. The one person who could _always_ get under her skin. The one person who had known her as long as she could remember; had seen the best and worst of her, and had shared the best and worst of times together. Who she had loved more strongly than she had ever hated.

The one person who had always been there, for better or for worse.

Without Catra, there was a giant hole in Adora's life. One she couldn’t even begin to imagine filling.

It’s just, she didn’t know what she would do without her.

“It’s okay, Adora... we're here for you.” Bow joined the duo at the table, sliding in on Adora's other side and placing a comforting arm around her. To her other side Glimmer nodded vigorously.

“It's just...she didn’t even say goodbye.”

_Sometime later_

Life was slowly beginning to return to normal in Bright Moon, and throughout Etheria. Homes were rebuilt, and a way of life slowly restored. That's not to say it was easy. The damage to the planet was catastrophic; certainty not something that could be repaired overnight. Perhaps it might even be generations. But little by little, the people were picking themselves up, dusting themselves off, and getting on with it.

The princesses each departed, one by one, back to their own kingdoms. Needed more by their people than to sit in endless council meetings. Even Scorpia, who officially no longer held ownership over the Fright Zone, went back to reclaim her families lands as her own.

Glimmer steadily grew into her role as queen; advised by Bow, her father, and - much to almost everyone’s continued displeasure - Shadow Weaver. She was the queen that had won the war, that had defeated their enemies, and the queen that had brought hope. But most of all, she was the queen the people needed; and deserved.

And then there was Adora. Adora who found she wasn’t, perhaps, quite suited to peace after all.

She helped where she could, of course she did. But she was a warrior; born to a sword and raised for battle. She didn’t know anything else.

There was a loneliness, an emptiness inside which she didn’t quite understand. It kept her awake on long hot nights, and clouded her mind during endless days. A feeling of being separate, of being out of place.

She though to confide in Glimmer and Bow; almost did, so many times. But, they were so happy, so far from the troubles that plagued Adora, and time after time she bit her tongue.

There was someone who would understand, she knew. Someone who was far away but closest in so many ways. Someone who she dared not think about but who constantly plagued her dreams. The one she still could not quite accept as being gone from her life.

And so the days drifted by into weeks, and her sense of discord only grew, until one evening, when sunbeams slipped through the large windows of the bedroom, casting everything in an ethereal golden glow, Glimmer found Adora sitting on her bed. A small satchel sat on the floor at her feet.

“So it’s true then?” Glimmer’s voice was hard, almost disguising the hurt that was layered beneath. “You’re leaving.”

Adora sighed. “You spoke to Bow?”

“Yes... you know Bow, he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. Were you even going to tell me?”

Adora stood, her long strides taking her to within arms length of her friend. Something held her back from closing the distance completely.

“Glimmer, _of course_ I would have told you.” Tears filled her eyes. “I just... I didn’t know how.”

“I’m not blind, Adora, I know something’s been bothering you.” Glimmer’s tone was softer now, laced with understanding. “But leaving like this... are you sure it’s what you want?”

“No.” The warrior smiled sadly. “I’m not sure of anything. But I need to find out who I am, who the First One's really were. And if there is anyone left.”

A fat tear slipped from the Monarch’s eye and rolled down her face, only to immediately be replaced with another.

“But this is your home. Isn’t it?”

“Etheria will always be my home, but it’s not my heritage. There is so much out there. So much we don’t understand...”

“Do you even know if Mara's old ship will work? It... got pretty banged up...”

In her mind's eye Adora saw an image of the spaceship hurtling through the atmosphere, thick black smoke pouring from its ruined hull. And then an all too familiar figure falling from it. She shuddered, pushing the memory away.

“Darla. Entrapta's been working on her non-stop. Said she’s better than new so...”

“Okay, then we're coming with you.” Glimmer stood her ground, arms folded across her chest and eyes narrowed, daring Adora to contradict her.

Adora sighed again. She had been doing that a lot lately.

“That’s the exact thing Bow said.” The warrior finally reached out and took her friends hands in her own. Guiding them until they were both sat on the bed.

“I want you to come, I wish more than anything... But you’re the queen, Glimmer; I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, and your people need you here. And Bow can’t come either - he can’t leave you.”

Glimmer looked like she wanted to argue, and her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably.

“You’ll always be my best friends. My family. No matter where I am. Best friend squad forever, right?” The tears that had been clouding her vision finally fell, rolling in a torrent down her cheeks.

“But you can’t go alone, Adora!” Glimmer wailed, trying one more time to get her friend to reconsider.

Adora allowed a watery smile to touch her lips.

“Yeah, about that... I might not be alone”


	3. Chapter 3

It was hot. The heat seemed to cling to her as she walked. Her clothing was damp with her own sweat and it stuck to her uncomfortably as she trudged along. Her throat was parched, dry as the dust that seemed to fill her mouth with every breath she took.

Stifling. Arid. Inhospitable. Adora had loathed the Crimson Waste when she’d first come here, and her second visit had done little to change her mind. She couldn’t believe Catra had come here out of choice.

And yet, she could. When she stopped to think about it.

The cat girl had never handled rejection well – be it real or perceived. It made sense that she had fled before the princesses could cast her out. Choosing to believe the worst rather than risk hoping for the best. It made all too much sense that she would choose the one place that wouldn’t reject her. A place that was filled with outcasts, outlaws, and those with nowhere left to go. Because Catra was one of them.

Except she wasn’t. Adora refused to believe that, whatever the other woman thought of herself. She had always fought tooth and nail for Catra, whether with or against her. Deep down she had never stopped believing in her.

The dark hulk of the tavern appeared in front of her, the image swimming in the heat. The warrior grit her teeth, blowing out warm breath through her nose. Slow and controlled. Fear lurking behind her eyes.

She hadn’t let herself think about the possibility that the other woman didn’t want to be saved.

  
Inside, the tavern was exactly as she remembered. Hot, sweaty bodies crowding at the bar; vying for attention from the scantily clad bar staff. Downcast faces, anonymous and incognito; waiting for a  
resolution they hoped to find lurking at the bottom of their glass.

She scanned the place once. Twice. It was rowdy, busier even than it had been the last time. The stench of spilt ale and unwashed bodies was like a physical wall ahead of her and she had to choke down the urge to gag.

She looked around once final time. Her heart began to sink. She almost gave up.

But then... Then her breath caught in her throat and her heart stuttered and seized before finally seeming to give up entirely. A moment passed, and then without warning it began beating once more. A staccato rhythm - drumsticks pounding on a hide; double, triple, time. Pouring life back into  
weary, leaden limbs.

Catra was sat facing her, in the far corner of the room. Her wild hair tied back into a messy pony tail. Head down over a dirty tankard.

Her one time friend looked up as she approached. Eyes that were too slow to focus widening for the briefest of moments before settling into the characteristic display of disinterest Adora knew so well.

“Adora. What a surprise. Bored of the goody-two-shoes princesses already?” The woman smirked.

Adora decided to ignore the clear bait, even as a part of her longed to push back. Longed for the push and pull that they were both so adept at. Her dry mouth fumbled around the words that she didn’t quite know how to say.

“Hey Catra... How... errr... how've you been?”

Catra laughed, the sound hollow and humourless to Adora's ears.

“How have I been? Let me think... Top of the food chain. As much beer as I can drink. Living the dream...” She raised her tankard in a mock toast, filthy brown liquid slopping up and over the side as she did so. Adora turned her nose up before she could think better of it.

It was too much to ask that her expression of distaste had gone unnoticed by her companion. The cat-woman scowled, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing, tail flicking out behind her. Always so quick to go on the defensive.

“She bothering you, boss?”

Some lowlife thug interrupted them, towering over Adora with his arms folded across his chest. Intimidating, or would be if she didn’t know she could have him on his arse in under a minute, with or without She-Ra’s assistance.

“Adora is _always_ bothering me... But...” Catra put her hand out quickly as her underling made a low growling in his throat and made to advance towards the blonde. “But it’s fine, I’ll handle it.”

Adora internally bristled at the insinuation that she was something to be handled. But she sank into the seat opposite her former friend nonetheless.

“Why did you come here, Adora?” Catra questioned, her voice softer now.

“I could ask the same of you.” The warrior parried, for an instant allowing the hurt she had felt these past months to rise to the surface and get the better of her.

“Seriously? You don’t know why? Do you really think I could've stayed; played happy families with the princesses? It doesn’t even matter anyway. So, why are you here?” She asked again.

She sounded tired, suddenly. Almost completely devoid of the bluster and forced arrogance that had become her trademark. But there was an edge of hurt there too, deep down once you peeled back the layers; one which she had never truly been able to hide from Adora.

It reminded her of before. Before She-Ra, before the rebellion; before they were fighting bitterly on opposite sides of a war. Fighting each other for more reasons perhaps than either of them quite realised - or wanted to admit. It reminded her of back when they were young cadets, holding on to any light they could find; trying to hold on to themselves as strongly as they were holding onto each other, before everything that they were was ripped away.

Adora almost reached over to take Catra's hand. Almost.

“I’m leaving.” She said instead, watching the woman in front of her closely.

“HA!” The ex-Hoarde captain exclaimed loudly. It was not the reaction Adora had been expecting.

“Of _course_ you’re leaving! You’re just _so_ _good_ at it. What are you leaving this time...? Wait! Don’t tell me... You’re finally breaking up with that ridiculous hair poof?” She snickered spitefully.

Adora made a small noise at the back of her throat and touched her hair poof reverentially.

“What? No... There is nothing wrong with my hair... Why does everyone keep saying that?  
Anyway...” She took a breath, calming, before continuing. “I’m leaving Etheria...”

In front of her Catra’s eyes widened and her ears flattened to her head. For just a moment something flickered behind the facade; fear maybe, or panic. It was gone before Adora had chance to work it out.

And then she started laughing again, great cackles as though it was the funniest thing she had ever heard, drawing several annoyed stares from patrons trying to drown their sorrows in peace and quiet.

“Good one Adora. _Really_ , you almost had me going for a minute there.”

Adora sat watching the woman she had only just come to realise meant quite so much to her, shaking her own head quietly. She took all of her in; dusty leather jacket fitting tightly against her like a second skin, the hard lines of her face as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand in an exaggerated show of amusement. The subtle slur of her voice, almost imperceptible, except Adora knew her too well _not_ to notice. How she uncharacteristically stumbled over a word here and there, and the way she took a long swig of her drink with a practiced ease. If Adora had expected the months she'd spent in the Crimson Waste to have done anything to soften Catra, then she’d been mistaken.

She was looking at Adora now, waiting for her to confirm the prank. The longer the silence stretched, the wider her eyes became, almost pleading with her one-time friend; begging her to renounce her statement as nothing more than silly jest.

“No, Catra, it’s true. I’m leaving, but I wanted...”

She was cut off as the other woman leapt to her feet, fists clenched tightly and chair falling back behind her, hitting the floor with enough force to raise a small cloud of dust, as well as the attentions of just about every other patron in the tavern. All chatter around them ceased.

Catra didn’t seem to notice, however, as her lips pulled back into a snarl; fangs bared.

“So what? You’re leaving _again_. Good riddance. You just had to come here before you left, just to rub it in my face one last time. Well great, now you've done it... So. Just. _Go_.”

She stood there, arms crossed tightly - protectively - in front of her. A tiny ball of coiled energy, rage and hurt. Doing the only thing she had ever known how to do – lashing out.

Her own anger and frustration ignited inside Adora as she herself stood, hands gripping the table and movements slow and controlled. The rapt eyes of the unintended audience fading from her awareness.

Maybe this had all been a mistake after all.

“Will you just, for once in your life, shut the HELL up and listen to someone else, Catra.” She raged, stunning the other woman into an unusual silence.

A long moment passed and the world narrowed down to the two of them. Friends. Companions.Rivals. Enemies... Something more?

“I came here because I wanted to ask you to come with me.” She all but growled across the table separating the two. “And you are just impossible, and stubborn; you're a complete pain in my ass most days. And you make the worst choices. I really think you need to consider some kind of anger management, and I love you...”

She paused, breathing heavily after her tirade. And then the words she had just shouted for all the bar to hear registered in her brain. _I love you_. She hadn’t meant for them to slip out like that, but now they had, Adora realised that she meant it. She meant it with every fibre of her being.

She lowered her voice a couple of octaves before continuing.

“... I love you, Catra, I think I always have. And I miss you, and I need you and I love you, and I want you with me...” She rambled. Across from her Catra still stood gawping. “I leave at sundown, if... err... you know, if you feel the same. Or whatever. If not,” She swallowed against the onslaught of tears she could feel building “If not then you never have to see me again.”

With that Adora turned and walked away, the weight of Catra's gaze following her as she did. She resisted the urge to look back.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun had almost set. The amber ball creeping down below the horizon, leaving it’s final golden rays to lick the early evening sky, casting it in hues of pinks, purples, violets and ochres. It was a beautiful sight to behold. A stunning testament to her final moments on Etheria.

Adora sighed and turned away from the visage. Her downcast eyes flicked around her newly rebuilt spaceship. It was empty.

She tried not to think about the heavy feeling sitting in her chest. The weight of hope failing as it slowly slipped away. She had allowed herself to be optimistic; allowed herself to believe. She’d never learnt her lesson about believing in the impossible.

She tried, instead, to focus on what waited for her, up there in the ether. The places she would see and the people she would meet. The adventures she would have. Even now, as she looked up to the heavens, the first pinpricks of light from the distant worlds permeated the growing darkness of the velvet sky.

She stood up straighter, squaring her shoulders.

“Looks like it’s just you and me then, Darla.”

“Not leaving without me I hope.” A husky voice, with a faint inflection of humour, intoned from somewhere near the entrance.

Adora’s breath caught in her throat as a familiar outline emerged from the gloom of the corridor.

“Hey Adora.”

“You... You’re here. You came...”

“Obviously.” Catra walked towards her, stopping when she was only a few feet away. They stood for a moment, and the other woman’s cocky grin subsided. She rubbed her neck. Scuffed a booted toe against the floor, glancing around; perhaps haunted by the ghosts of the last time she stood here.

“I thought you weren’t coming.” Adora admitted, her soft voice betraying her insecurities.

“You’re such an idiot.” Catra shook her head lightly, moving forward another step. The unmistakable note of fondness in her tone and small smile playing at her lips belayed her words. “Of course I was gonna come.”

Even as Adora stood, feeling somewhat still rooted to the spot, her open-mouthed shock was giving way to an ecstatic grin. She was gazing at the other woman as though she couldn’t quite believe she really was there.

“You were?” She eventually managed.

“You love me.” Catra took another step forward. It wasn’t quite a statement, and yet not really a question. Adora knew she was being tested, that the feline woman was daring her to deny it.

“I love you.” She breathed, feeling the truth flow into the words.

She finally took her own step forward. They were close now; only one small step separating them. Adora could feel the magnetic pull, the spark of desire like a jolt of electricity.

She was surprised when Catra burst into laughter. Not cruel, or malicious, or hollow. There was something almost pure about it, and the sound was like a balm to Adora’s soul.

“Do you have _any_ idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say those words?” The laughter faded and the woman grew sombre once more. Her eyes were wide, fixated on Adora like she was drinking all of her in.

“I love you too.” She whispered in a voice that held the faintest hint of nervousness.

Adora’s heart felt like it might burst.

“You do?”

Catra held up a hand out in front of her, between the two of them, silently asking for permission.

Adora took it, lacing their fingers together and gently tugging Catra to close the remaining distance between them until their foreheads rested against one another’s. She was enveloped in the musky scent that was so unique to the other woman.

“I do.”

Catra's other hand came up to gently cradle Adora’s jaw, tracing delicate patterns against her sensitive skin.

“Catra...” She breathed, her eyes closing.

Their lips met. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before; thrilling and desperate; beautiful and strong and safe, and she melted into it. It felt to Adora like she was finally coming home.

All too soon she felt Catra pulling away. She realised she was somewhat breathless, almost light-headed. Just in front of her Catra was panting lightly. Their hands were still clasped together and she felt as though she never wanted to let go.

Outside it was pitch black. Night had fallen properly. She wondered how long they had been stood, locked together. With a small contented sigh she broke the spell.

“We should go.”

Suddenly Catra was looking nervous again, and she pulled her hand away, using it to grasp the elbow of her other arm tightly.

“Catra, what is it?” She asked, feeling the anxiety clawing it’s way up her own throat.

“Are you sure..?” She asked haltingly, her voice low and laced with insecurity.

Adora furrowed her brow, confused by the question.

“Are you sure you want me with you?” The other woman clarified. “I’m not... I'm not exactly the easiest person to have around... I lash out at people. All I do is hurt the people I care about the most...” She tailed off, looking down, her ears low against her head.

Adora stepped forward into Catra’s space once more, retaking her hand.

“Catra...” She breathed, looking into the woman’s hurting eyes. Trying to convey the sincerity of her words. “I’ve never been more sure about anything...”

“But...”

She squeezed Catra’s hands to cut her off.

“No buts... okay? We've both hurt each other. We’ve both done things we regret. It’s time to break the cycle...” As Adora spoke, Catra's wide eyes filled with tears. She was clinging on, the First One could see, willing herself to believe.

Then she looked down, breaking the connection and Adora felt the loss as if all the warmth in the world had suddenly disappeared.

“Adora, I tore the world in two all because you left me...”

“And then you saved it. Catra, the Horde hurt us... _hurt you_... so badly, for so long. But we don’t have to let that hurt define us.” Adora’s voice was loud now; strong with the fervour of her words. “Do you want to be that person anymore, Catra?”

“No.” Catra breathed, her voice so low it was barely audible.

“Then don’t. The Horde might have made us who we are, but we can make ourselves anew.”

And it might not be that easy. It might be the hardest, most difficult war either of them had waged. But standing there, in that moment, with Catra by her side, anything felt possible.

Catra sniffed once, loudly, and then exhaled a shaky breath. A beat passed, and then another, and Adora could see the woman she loved putting herself back together, as she had done so many times before.

Finally, after what seemed like an age had passed, but in reality was mere seconds, Catra stepped back. She met Adora’s eyes. There was no hint of the crippling doubt of moments before. The mask of mischievous indifference, of amused boredom, that the ex-Horde officer had cultivated for so many years was firmly back in place. If she didn’t know better Adora might have thought she’d imagined the whole thing.

“Gees Adora, you are such a cliché.” Catra rolled her eyes but there was a smile there, underneath, and there was no disdain behind her words. “So are we actually gonna go or what?”

Adora felt her face break out into a wide, contented grin. Together the two companions walked over to the console, Adora sitting in the captain’s chair and Catra stood by her side.Adora looked up at the woman who was her world.

“Ready?” She questioned, her face still alight with her enormous smile.

Catra grinned back at her.

“Ready.”

“In that case...” She held out her hand once more... “on to... _adventure_!!”

Catra rolled her eyes, but chuckled good naturedly at the other woman.

“Did you know that you’re a massive dork?” She smiled fondly... “And I love you.” She took Adora's hand in her own, squeezing tightly.

Adora returned the pressure, holding on as though Catra was the key to every bit of strength she had, and she would never let her go.

“I love you too.”

...

In the sky above Bright Moon, awash with a sea of thousands of stars and constellations twinkling all at once, a new star - one that hadn’t been there a moment before - suddenly burned brightly, before it popped out of existence altogether.

Queen Glimmer smiled to herself as she stood on the highest parapet of the castle, looking up at the fading rainbow vapour that the star had left in its wake. She stood for just a moment longer before turning and walking back to where she knew Bow would be waiting for her. She paused at the entrance, and turned one final time.

“Safe travels, my friends” she whispered into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of my little tale. I hope that some of you have enjoyed it. As I originally said, it's been a short one. Not much, really, at all. 
> 
> It's been quite an important one for me though, I've had some writers block for a while, and for some reason, writing this I found easy, and now I seemed to have found the will to continue my other stories as well. 
> 
> I started this one after I finished season 4, just in case things didn't work out as I wanted. Then I watched s5 before I had finished the story, and realised things were gonna work out better than I could have imagined they would! 
> 
> This will be the end of this story though... As much as the ending leaves things open for the possibility of more.
> 
> I might write again for this fandom, someday. I have an idea, something quite different to this story, so we'll see...


End file.
